When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

Lin Ye had just finished writing the last square, and before his hand had even left the paper, someone shouted again at the emergency room entrance.

"The couple who own the stalls at the Chengnan Night Market have arrived!"

Nurse Zhao had already unscrewed the thermos, but upon hearing this, she put the lid back on.

"Alright, I'll put this saliva on the tab for now."

Two flatcars were pushed in one after the other.

Sister Guo was lying in the front bed, her lips were gray, her eyes were very red, but she was still conscious. As soon as she saw the nurse, she tried to prop herself up on her arms.

"Doctor, I really didn't know it wasn't salt. I only mixed it with a few bowls of vegetables. Where's my husband? He kept vomiting in the car, he was almost unrecognizable."

Nurse Zhao reached out and pressed her back down, the movement was gentle, but her words were anything but soft.

"Lie down first. Your husband is behind you, he'll be pushing you in soon. Don't get too excited and throw up again."

Sister Guo's tears fell instantly.

"If anything happens to him, I will never be able to get over it for the rest of my life."

Guo Jie's husband was pushed in onto the flatbed behind.

The man was in his thirties, his work apron still on, with dark stains of red paint and rainwater on his chest. He hadn't fainted, but his eyes were vacant, and he would only turn his head a beat late when someone called his name.

The paramedics handed the transfer slip to Sun Zhiqiang.

"Male, 38 years old. He ate cold beef salad and vomited twice during the journey. His lips were purple when he got on the bus, and the color didn't return much after he received oxygen. He kept saying that his chest felt tight, and when I asked him for his home phone number just now, he gave me two different answers."

Sun Zhiqiang took the order and his first reaction was to look at the red zone.

All regular beds are already occupied.

The person in the blue overalls had just been connected to the monitoring system; the girl from Dongyuan was still in the child monitoring position, and the middle-aged man who had been so stubborn earlier hadn't left the monitoring area.

Nurse Zhao scanned the area and began calling for people to move the stretcher.

"First, establish an observation point; connect the oxygen supply and the conductor."

Lin Ye looked at Sister Guo's husband.

The man gagged again, tilting his body to one side. The escorting nurse quickly handed him a kidney dish. He vomited not much, just a little water mixed with the smell of chili oil, which made him cough several times.

After coughing, he didn't look up immediately.

The grayish-purple hue on her lips was even more noticeable.

In the corner of Lin Ye's field of vision, light blue handwriting flashed briefly.

Emergency Room Early Warning System

[Suspected diagnosis: Nitrite poisoning, acute methemoglobinemia.]

[Abnormalities: Repeated vomiting, slowed response, and grayish lips even after oxygen administration.]

[Key Risk: Increased airway risk.]

Lin Ye only glanced at him before his gaze returned to Sister Guo's husband.

The man was still coughing, and his head was never fully lifted.

He cursed inwardly, looked up at Sun Zhiqiang, and spoke a little more urgently than before.

"Teacher Sun, this cannot be placed in the observation position first."

Sun Zhiqiang turned his face away.

Lin Ye pointed to the curved plate next to the flatbed cart, then looked at Guo Jie's husband's head, which had not yet been fully raised.

"Teacher Sun, he can't go too far from the red zone. He vomited twice on the way, and just now he coughed so hard he couldn't lift his head. Even with oxygen, his lips haven't changed color. Put the suction device by the bedside, and the second line of staff needs to come and check his airway first."

Ma Hao glanced at the red zone subconsciously.

"But that area is already full."

"Even if he's full, we can't let him lie too far away." Lin Ye didn't look at Ma Hao, speaking quickly, "If he really starts vomiting, and no one's watching, it'll be even more troublesome if he chokes."

Sun Zhiqiang was only two seconds late.

He glanced down at the transfer slip, then at Guo Jie's husband's face.

"Nurse Zhao, don't put her in the observation position. Move the stretcher next to the red zone monitoring unit, and prepare suction. The second-line nurses should check on this one first."

Nurse Zhao had already pulled the suction tube out from the side of the treatment cart.

"I heard you. Xiao Zheng, push him this way, tilt his head a little. Ma Hao, make sure the wristband is written correctly."

Ma Hao quickly responded.

"Yes, Sister Guo's husband."

When Sister Guo heard the words "red zone," she struggled to turn her head to look.

"Is he very seriously ill? Doctor, is his condition more serious than mine?"

Nurse Zhao fastened her oxygen mask.

"Don't try to be a hero. Neither of you is light-hearted. If you can speak, save your answers for now. We'll ask you where you got the ingredients, how many bowls you mixed, and who ate them later, then you can tell us slowly."

Sister Guo closed her eyes briefly, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I really didn't mean to."

Lin Ye stood between two flatbed sheets, his pen pausing on the paper.

The monitor's voice was still ringing in the red zone, and the girl's mother from Dongyuan was still quietly asking the doctor questions through a curtain.

Sun Zhiqiang glanced at him.

"Lin Ye, don't stand there. Add the arrival time first. Also, write down the male's symptoms: vomiting, slow response, and no significant improvement after oxygen therapy. Don't rush to write down the diagnosis; let the second-line doctors and the results speak for themselves."

"clear."

Lin Ye picked up his pen and had only written two lines when the second-line emergency room doctor walked over from the side of the blue overalls.

He first looked at Sister Guo's husband, then glanced at the curved road.

"Did you vomit?"

Lin Ye relayed what the paramedic had just said to him.

"He gagged twice on the way there, and coughed a few times when he got to the door. He answered slowly, and he answered the phone question incorrectly just now. His lips are grayish-purple, and there was no significant change after he received oxygen."

The second-line doctor didn't ask many questions and directly told the nurse, "Place the suction cup next to him, don't let him lie flat yet. Send the blood gases, electrolytes, and lactate together."

He glanced at Guo Jie's husband's ashen lips and added another sentence.

"Ask about G6PD deficiency and allergies if possible; if you can't get a clear answer, call them first. Have the pharmacy stock up on methylene blue, and wait for the results and instructions from the senior doctor."

When Guo Jie's husband heard "family member on the phone," his eyelids twitched.

"Don't call my mom."

The sound was very low, almost inaudible amidst the oxygen-filled air.

Ma Hao paused for a moment as he attached the wristband.

"Then who should we attack?"

The man thought about it for a long time.

"My sister. She mustn't tell my mom."

Sister Guo burst into tears on the bed in front of her.

"Your mom will find out sooner or later."

"She has a heart condition."

After saying this, the man coughed again and turned his face to the side.

Nurse Zhao handed the suction tube to the bedside.

"Alright, let's not argue about filial piety now. Let's catch our breath first. We'll make the call according to the rules."

A stall owner nearby, who was still muttering to himself, swallowed his words.

Someone glanced down at the packing bag in their hand and then tied the opening tightly again.

Guo's husband was pushed to the red zone monitoring area, and the lead wires were attached to him one by one.

The monitor started displaying waveforms.

Lin Ye added the words "monitoring near the red zone, attraction at the bedside" to the notes.

He felt the pen dig into his fingers and realized he was gripping it too tightly.

Lin Ye didn't think further about what would happen if he had actually pushed the person to the observation position and no one was watching over him when he started vomiting.

The light blue lettering has faded.

Next to Guo Jie's husband's row, there was only a very faint red dot.

Lin Ye didn't look at the red dot again, but simply pulled the notes bar closer to himself and traced those words over again.

She vomited, answered slowly, and her color didn't return after receiving oxygen.

Sun Zhiqiang took a look at the notes he had written.

"Okay. This is enough. Don't write 'guess what'."

Lin Ye hummed in agreement.

Sun Zhiqiang put the paper back, his voice a little lower than before.

"You were right to remind me earlier."

Lin Ye paused for a moment after hearing the praise.

Before he could speak, Nurse Zhao finally unscrewed the thermos and took a sip.

This time the water is hot.

She let out a long, comfortable sigh.

"Finally, I can drink some water. If I don't drink soon, my tongue will be stuck to my mask."

Ma Hao was gathering several wristband stickers together when he heard this and couldn't help but ask, "Sister Zhao, what's the difference between water that smells like night shift water and regular water?"

"Normal water is just water." Nurse Zhao didn't even look at him. "The water that smells like night shift water is cold water, the smell of adhesive tape, disinfectant, plus your name that you misspelled three times."

Ma Hao glanced down at the registration book.

"I only made one mistake."

"That's because you can't count accurately either."

An auntie from the night market next door, who was typing on her phone, paused when she heard this and deleted the half-sent sentence.

Soon after, someone in the red zone shouted out a blood pressure reading.

The middle-aged man who had been stubborn earlier hadn't had his follow-up appointment yet. His wife was sitting at the foot of the bed, but she swallowed back the words she was about to say and didn't say "it's nothing" on his behalf.

A layer of white mist appeared on the oxygen mask of the girl from Dongyuan.

The child's mother, sitting beside the doctor, whispered, "If she still feels like vomiting, should I help her to her side?"

The boy's father at the night market finally got through to his home phone.

The younger sister didn't touch the box of vegetables. The elderly in the family, as Nurse Zhao had instructed, left the items, along with the bag, at the door, waiting for someone to come and deal with them.

A man in blue overalls leaned against a temporary flatbed, a wire pressed against his chest, his eyes half-open and half-closed.

The second-line emergency room doctor returned to his bedside, holding the blood gas paper with the methemoglobin test result in his hand.

"Methemoglobin levels have returned, and the number isn't low. Send someone to stay by the bedside to prevent the person from leaving. Also, check the weight, and ask about any history of G6PD deficiency or allergies."

He placed the blood gas test paper next to the nurse.

"If the phone can be reached, then do so. If you really need to use methylene blue, follow the instructions from your doctor. Don't let the phone call delay your medication."

The nurse responded.

The man in the blue overalls raised his eyelids slightly upon hearing the word "family member".

"Don't call the home phone. My dad will make a fuss if he answers."

Nurse Zhao walked over and glanced at him.

"Why are you all so afraid of your families finding out tonight? Then name someone who can answer the phone, don't fall asleep halfway through."

The man in blue overalls thought for a long time before giving a number, but he got one digit wrong.

Ma Hao was checking the information next to him and almost got led astray by him.

"Brother, don't test me. With the color of your lips right now, I wouldn't believe you could give me your phone number."

The man in blue overalls closed his eyes.

"I really can't remember."

"If you can't remember, take your time to think about it." Nurse Zhao pushed the registration book towards Ma Hao's side. "Don't rush him, or you'll both make mistakes."

Lin Ye was standing next to the nurses' station when Nurse Zhao pushed a plastic bag in front of him.

"Have something to eat."

There was only half a loaf of bread left inside, the packaging was flattened, and there were scraps of paper from the registration sticker stuck to the seal.

"Whose?"

"Mine, let's start with the emergency room allowance."

Ma Hao immediately looked up.

"Sister Zhao, can I get one too?"

Nurse Zhao glanced at him.

"You just bit the pen cap, that's an extra treat."

Ma Hao looked hurt.

Lin Ye tore open the packaging and took a bite.

The bread was dry, so he took two bites and then stopped.

The urge from before was still lingering in my stomach, and I didn't feel comfortable swallowing the bread.

As he swallowed his second bite of bread, his eyes fell back on the column for Sister Guo's husband.

The red dot has faded so much that it's almost invisible.

The person was still next to the red zone, with the suction tube hanging at the head of the bed. The second-line doctor was standing by the bed, and the nurse was asking about his allergy history while telling him not to lie flat.

Lin Ye swallowed the remaining bite of bread, his throat a little sore.

This time, the system finally did something useful.

Sun Zhiqiang walked over with the newly printed form in his hand.

"Don't just look at that lousy list."

Lin Ye put the bread down.

Sun Zhiqiang placed the watch in front of him.

The header only has one line: High-risk clue verification record.

Ma Hao leaned over to take a look, and his eyes lit up immediately.

"Is this considered new gear for Brother Lin?"

Nurse Zhao sneered.

"Dream on. Whoever comes across it first takes notes, and whoever reads it signs it. If you make a mistake, quality control will call someone in for a chat tomorrow."

Sun Zhiqiang did not refute, but turned the watch halfway in front of Lin Ye.

"From now on, if we haven't found this kind of person or handed over the goods yet, we'll write down three things first."

Lin Ye looked at the first column.

"Where is he? Who's watching over him?"

Sun Zhiqiang clicked on the third column.

"When will you get back to me? If this is missed, we'll have to go through the records tomorrow, and a bunch of people will be checking the phone numbers again."

He pushed the watch a little closer to Lin Ye.

"Don't force a diagnosis onto superiors, and don't write treatments for them. You should focus on three things: where the person is, where the belongings are, and who answers the phone. I'll sign off on the rest, or your supervisor on duty will sign off. Don't try to handle everything alone."

Lin Ye picked up the form and tried writing "Yellow Bus Bag" in the first column.

Sun Zhiqiang glanced at the words "bus" as soon as he wrote them.

"Focus on the key points, not the essay."

Lin Ye tightened the last few words, squeezing out "next to the driver's seat".

Ma Hao was still watching from the side.

"Brother Lin, will this be your personal watch from now on?"

Before Lin Ye could answer, Nurse Zhao spoke for him.

"What do you mean by 'special'? Whoever sees it can write it. He's just unlucky."

Ma Hao thought about it.

"That's pretty impressive."

Nurse Zhao shoved the empty cup into his arms.

"The capable ones go pour the water first. Less flattery, more work."

Ma Hao ran away with the cup in his hand.

Lin Ye flattened the form.

As soon as the list was closed, Sun Zhiqiang tapped the edge of the table.

"Don't relax yet. Your follow-up appointment isn't due yet."

Lin Ye gave a vague reply.

"Know."

Nurse Zhao leaned against the nurses' station, her gaze shifting between him and the new form.

"Let's put introducing her to someone later." She took the water Ma Hao brought back. "You need to learn to eat on time first. If we introduce her now, the girl will think I'm introducing her to a walking night shift schedule."

Lin Ye looked up.

"Sister Zhao, I heard you."

"That's good to hear." Nurse Zhao swallowed the hot food, her voice finally less hoarse. "Next time, don't wait for someone to stuff it in your mouth. The emergency room is short of doctors, not doctors who faint from hunger."

Sun Zhiqiang glanced down at his watch and didn't respond to Nurse Zhao's comment.

"Alright, don't scare them away. Lin Ye, check on those guys again in ten minutes. Go over their consciousness, lips, blood pressure, and monitoring. Have their methemoglobin retested as ordered by the doctor. Don't rush them yourself; just confirm the time with the nurse. There's been a reply from the bus company regarding the yellow bag handover; make sure you complete the necessary procedures."

Lin Ye swallowed the bread in his mouth, tapped the pen cap on the table, and flipped the new watch over.

"The family member in the blue work uniform hasn't been reached yet, should I add the phone number now?"

Sun Zhiqiang hummed in agreement.

"Additional information: Specify who you can reach, and at what time you can reach them."

Lin Ye had just finished writing in the first column when the triage desk's landline rang again.

Ma Hao was closest to the phone, and just as he reached out his hand, he looked at Sun Zhiqiang.

Should I answer it?

Nurse Zhao was annoyed.

"If the phone rings, don't answer it; just wait for it to write the medical record itself?"

Ma Hao quickly answered the call.

"Emergency Department of the First Municipal Hospital."

He listened for two seconds, his expression turning somewhat strange.

"Teacher Sun, it wasn't 120 (emergency services). It was the security department that called."

Sun Zhiqiang looked up.

Ma Hao covered the microphone and glanced at Lin Ye.

"The security department said that the family members of the night market vendors have arrived and are standing at the door."